Bay Path Drops Game One 2-0 to USJ

Saint Joseph (Conn.) used a two-run fifth inning and a complete-game shutout from Paige Fekete to top Bay Path, 2–0, Wednesday afternoon at the USJ Softball Field.

After four scoreless frames, the Blue Jays finally broke through in the bottom of the fifth. Gracie Browne sparked the rally with a triple, then came home when Avianna Ibrahim punched an RBI single to third for the game's first run. Later in the inning, Ibrahim scored on Rachel Brewer-Karimi's RBI single, with Brewer-Karimi taking second on the throw as Saint Joseph stretched the play and doubled the lead to 2–0.

Fekete (6–4) did the rest, firing a three-hit shutout over seven innings. She allowed just one walk and struck out seven, keeping Bay Path off the board despite the Wildcats putting three balls in play for hits. Bay Path's best chances were limited—Saint Joseph's defense also turned a double play to erase a threat.

For Bay Path, Alyssa Kreischer (2–3) took the loss after allowing two earned runs on five hits in five innings, walking two and striking out one. Kaitlyn Kerstetter worked a clean sixth, giving up one hit.

At the plate, Bay Path collected hits from Caroline Austin, Jenna Boudreau, and Grace Ramsey but finished with just three hits and seven strikeouts in 20 at-bats.

The win moved Saint Joseph (Conn.) to 11–8, while Bay Path fell to 9–10. The game was played in West Hartford, Connecticut, in front of 52 fans and lasted 1:22.